About

Don’t you want to learn from people who have walked the walk,instead of those who just talk the talk?

Hi, Clint Salter here and I’m the founder of the Dance Studio Owners Association. Firstly, if you’re new here…WELCOME! Whether you’re just about to start your studio, been doing it just a few years or have been operating your business for many years, I know you’ll find value in spending some time with us.

Our mission is simple – to give you the tools and resources you need to grow your dance studio. Our focus is on providing you with proven business growth strategies that will help you close that gap from where you are today to where you want to be – building that dream studio you have always wanted and deserve.

I’m probably not too different from you. I started my dance studio because I was a passionate dance teacher and I loved children. But…I had no idea really how to run a business.

So, when I came to the decision to open a studio it wasn’t a tough one. But, to be honest, I didn’t know what I was in for. My good friend and I decided to do it together as I was only 16 and she was 18. I looked after all the business side of things like marketing and student enrollments plus some teaching and she did most of the teaching. I quickly realised that if this studio was going to grow and not kill me… then I needed to bring in some help.

I was wearing so many hats in the studio and most days I would just hope that everything would work out. Do you ever feel like that? I never had a plan or strategy in place on how I would grow the business those first few years and it wasn’t until I met my first business mentor did things start to change.

Over those next 12 months working with my mentor who had successfully ran and sold a dance studio I was able to grow the business. Using what had worked for her, we were able to move into our own premise, operate 6 days per week with a teaching faculty and office staff and I was having two days off. From 30 students in a community hall to a thriving studio with hundreds of students, classes at capacity and multiple revenue streams in the business… life was good… and I was only 21.

I ended up selling my half of the studio after 5 years to move on to be a celebrity agent at the largest management company for media and television personalities in Australia. During this time, I also created an online magazine for dancers and performers as well as what is now Australia’s 2nd largest national dance competition. I ended up selling that business after 4 years as I was asked to become the Touring Manager for Jersey Boys the musical which saw me tour internationally managing a team of 56 people.

After finishing up on Jersey Boys and having some time for myself, I received phone call that (I didn’t know at the time) would change my life.

It was a dance studio owner named Sarah from Sydney who I had worked with when I had my other dance business. She heard that I was back in town and wanted to know if I could help her with her dance studio. Sarah was tired, overworked, overwhelmed by admin tasks and didn’t know how she could get out of the rut.

I’d been working with studio owners unofficially for many years before I got that call from Sarah. Having lunches with them, helping them with marketing ideas, helping some prepare their studio for sale if that was their plan and educating them on recruiting the right teachers.

What Sarah was explaining to me on the call is something that I had seen a lot from running my online magazine and the dance competition. Studio owners burning out, feeling flat and not having any more energy to give, feeling like working long hours, dealing with demanding parents and the constant competition for students was the only way.

I said YES to Sarah as I felt like I could really help her and her business and I wanted to prove that running a dance studio doesn’t need to be exhausting every day.

After working with Sarah for 3 months, we turned her studio around and today she has a thriving business, has time to spend with her family and has built a team around her to support her vision.

That was a few years ago and, as I said, that call changed my life. Today my team and I impact the lives of over 10,000+ dance studio owners globally each week through the association, our programs, podcasts, newsletters, trainings, speaking engagements, live events and resources and we’d love to be able to help you go to the next level in your business to transform your studio!

Let’s Get Started OnTransforming Your Studio!

If you’re brand new here, check out our Start Here page. This will walk you through our philosophy on what we know it takes to build a thriving dance studio plus we’ll share with you a number of resources you can get free access to today to grow your studio – from attracting students, automating your administration and more… it’s all there.

Love From Our Members

DSOA is a phenomenal resource and extremely beneficial investment that I will continue to make each year in efforts to grow my studio. I gain a ton of knowledge right at my fingertips both from the owner Clint Salter as well as the other members who are world-wide. How much better does it get than that?

Carrie Bohlmann, Virtuoso Performing Arts, USA

DSOA is such a terrific organization! So glad I joined this new 'family' ... They are here to offer great ideas (and how to implement them), support, encouragement, motivation and so much more! I'm already seeing great results & I cannot wait to see how much more my studio will grow!

Nancy Marcella Green, The Dance Emporium, USA

DSOA is a fantastic community of like minded Studio Owners who are so willing to share their experiences. Owing a dance studio is not an easy task and being a member of DSOA is definitely a ticket to success!

Ryan Bickerton, Dance Stream Victoria, Australia

I love the group because I feel like I have a team now. It's great to have a group of people that understand the challenges Dance Studio Owners face in a unique business environment. I also have so many ideas of what I want to do to build my studio - and the group is helping me map that out, along with a wealth of other information.”

Dana, Ignite Dance Studios Inc, Canada

I used to think I wanted to run a dance school. It never occurred to me that that translated to running a business as well. The DSOA and SSF program have not only opened my business eyes but gotten me really excited about things I never thought I would be interested in. Things like revenue, retention, marketing and profits. They're not evil words, they're exciting concepts that enhance the experience of all my dancers even more.

Thank you Clint. As always, you are a constant source of enthusiasm and inspiration.

Natalie Stubbs, BDC Dance, Australia

I've been greatly inspired by the creative marketing strategies, business streamlining ideas, community of owners uniting together and Clint's enthusiasm for helping others achieve their goals.

Jodi, Relevé Studios, USA

I love that it's not just about the concepts. Clint gives you the tools and technology to put the concepts into action.

Stephanie, Children's Dance Theater & Prestige Dance Studio ,USA

The group is full of fresh ideas and new friends to share in my profession. I think no one fully understands a Dance Studio Owner unless you are or have been one :).

Stacey, Stacey's Dance Studio,USA

I love and appreciate all the wonderful information given by Clint Salter and everyone here. We always knew there was a great dance community but the DSOA has brought everyone together in such a great way. No one know what a dance teacher goes through except a dance teacher!

Tina Sparks, Sparks Dance Centre, Australia

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ABOUT DSOA

The Dance Studio Owners Association is a community of over 300 STUDIO OWNERS from every corner of the world. Each of our members make up our family. We focus on supporting our STUDIO OWNERS in each area of their business and life. Each month they have access to online master classes with business, dance and marketing experts. Plus opportunities to ask their burning questions and get the help they need to continually grow as a business owner, leader and human being.